This post was published as well.Right before every home match starts the FC Twente supporters Austin Johnson Jersey sing the from Gerry The Pacemakers. What the supporters mean to convey is that they will support their team no matter what; in good times and, perhaps especially, in bad times. The past weeks have shown that that was a lie. The vocal supporters of the FC Twente crowd, often referred to as , named after a stand in the previous stadium, are what one may describe as .Of course, not all fans agree with Vak-P and not all fans have acted as Vak-P has in the past weeks. When I henceforth write fans, I am referring to those who belong to the vocal part of the FC Twente crowd, Vak-P.FC Twente, Vak-P, and Steve McClarenA banner, demanding coach McClaren to leave FC TwenteIn the past weeks the fans have grown di satisfied and impatient with coach Steve McClaren and his team. During many games, instead of supporting their team in a positive way, disapproving whistling could be heard. Banners were shown in the stadium, calling for McClaren to be fired. The was in the home match against Willem II. Vak-P decided to leave the stands empty for the first 10 minutes of the game. Moreover, over the empty chairs they showed a banner reading CLEAN SHIT, which referred to the le s risky (but therefore more boring) tactic used by McClaren to start a game with theoverarching intention not to concede a goal to keep a clean sheet.The action by Vak-P, protesting against Steve McClaren and his team during the first 10 minutes of the game against Willem IIAnother, perhaps equally intrusive action was to on their way back to Enschede after the . The fans demanded explanations. While doing so, they happened to destroy a photographers equipment but hey, thats in their rights, isnt it?Well, they finally : FC Twente that coach Steve McClaren would leave them. It was indicated that the pre sure from the supporters and the internal tensions it caused prompted him to leave.Steve McClaren in better times, with the Dutch kampioen schaalWas this justified? Were the fans right to bully away this coach? Halfway the season, six matches ago, FC Twente was at the top of the Taywan Taylor Jersey table together with PSV. Let me say that again: a few matches ago, FC Twente was leading the . Right now they are 5th, only 6 points from leader PSV.But maybe all of this was despite coach McClaren. So lets look at his history at FC Twente. Wait, I found that cannot be true. Or could it? McClaren was the coach of FC Twente when they became champions of the Netherlands in the season 2009/10. Rashaan Evans Jersey This was the first time ever that FC Twente ended first in the Eredivisie. Did McClaren steal this title, relying on the work done by others before him? No, he had a contract for years. In his first year he led FC Twente to an already amazing 2nd place, with attractive football. In his 2nd year, he coached them to the title.So what does this tell us about Vak-P? Well, with all my creativity I cannot find a way in which one could po sibly argue that they could be regarded as trustworthy, reliable, or loyal. I didnt hear Vak-P complain when he led them to the title did you? Youll Never Walk Alone. Sure, they were there when FC Twente became the champion. But where are they now, whenfor the first time in YEARS they and their vocal support are actually needed? Crybabies. Big crybabies, thats what they are.FeyenoordYou may wonder why I am so particularly upset about all this; after all, its not my club, is it? Firstly, although Feyenoord is indeed my first club, in the Netherlands I also always cheer for FC Twente (I always found the logic behind the argument that one can or should support one and only one team, well, nonexistent). Second, it is especially when I look at Feyenoords relatively recent history that I find that Vak-P can only be described as a bunch of fair weather fans.Feyenoord is a big club. I think that Harold Landry Jersey worldwide Ajax has the most fans of all Dutch clubs, but I would say that Feyenoords domestic fanbase rivals, and probably tops, the one from Ajax. Feyenoord won the (predece sor of the) Champions League once, the (predece sor of the) Europea League 2 times, the national title 14 times, and the domestic cup 11 times. After winning the Uefa Cup in 2002, things went downhill, however. From 2004 onwards, Feyenoord ended at places 4, 3, 7, 6, and again 7 cla sifications that strongly contrast with its succesful past.Depre sed results had financial consequences. Pay from participating in European competitions were not earned for years. The club, which had been constructed and had planned for succe s, failed, and came into financial distre s. Most notably, where prior talents would only leave if Feyenoord received a significant transfer fee, and then also only to bigger, foreign clubs of the likes of Manchester United, Real Madrid and Inter Milan, Feyenoord was forced to let its talents go to domestic competitors. In this matter, . Leroy Fer, Luc Castaignos, en Jerson Cabral all made their way from Rotterdam to Enschede.The only other club in the Netherlands that is also a sociated with a version of the Youll Never Walk Alone happens to be Feyenoord. So, how did Het Legioen, as Feyenoord fans are referred to, respond to a competitive downturn (that, lets be clear, is of an entirely different magnitude than the one FC Twente experiences today)? They did not ask for firing the coach. Not even at the absolute lowest point Feyenoord Kenny Vaccaro Jersey ever got at the . Surely, they were grumpy sometimes, but Het Legioen always supported their team, and . They never did anything like Vak-P did the past weeks.Lay off the Youll Never Walk AloneVak-P exerted a ma sive pre sure on their club FC Twente to lay off coach Steve McLaren, which I think was shortsighted, unfair, disloyal, and a lot more like that but unfortunately also succe sful. It is clear that Vak-P spoils and befouls the tradition when they sing theYoull Never Walk Alone, as it exists most notably at Liverpool FC, but also at my team Feyenoord, since they only sing it when the weather is fine and fair, and when the sun is out. FC Twente is not worthy of the tradition. Well, the club may be, but its supporters certainly arent.
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